Sanitary telephone attachment



E. M. POTTER. SANITARY TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED IULY28.1919.

1, 7,7 Patented July 27, "1920."

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'ELLIs M. rorrnn, or New YORK, N. Y.

SANITARY TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIs M. POTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at 84.0

West End avenue, in the city, county, and

State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSanitary Telephone Attachments, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to mouthpieces for telephone transmitters andmore particularly to a detachable disinfecting guard adapted to form aclosure for the open end of the mouth piece and prevent the spread ofcontagious diseases.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a guard of thecharacter mentioned which is simple in construction inexpensive ofproduction, and which may be conveniently carried in quantities in thevest pocket of the user.

A further object is to provide a guard of the character mentioned whichwill not inslightly greater in diameter than the diameter of themouthpiece of the telephone. The disk 1 is formed with a central opening6 and the peripheral edges of the disk are folded or curled backwardlyand inwardly thus forming a beaded or flanged edge 7 adapted to snuglyengage the mouthpiece. That portion of the disk between the beaded edge7 and the opening 6 is made slightly concaved as by pressing, therebycontracting the beading. This latter may be effected operation by theuse of suitable dies. he beaded edge 7 is made slightly smaller indiameter Specification of Letters Patent.

than the diameter of the telephone so that when the guard is slippedover the mouthpiece the depressed portion will stretch thus permittingthe disk to be clamped securely in place.

The guard is applied to the mouth piece by pressing a portion of oneedge over a correspondingedge portion of the mouth piece, and thenspringing the guard into place. This can readily be effected due to theresiliency or giving qualities of the concave portion 8 of the guard, aswill be apparent.

A piece of antiseptically treated gauze 9 applied to one face of theguard covers the opening 6 and effectually prevents disease germs, whichmay have collected in the mouth piece from being inhaled by the user ofthe present invention.

I have found by actual trial that when the guard fits snugly on themouth piece, the voice is carried direct into the telephone and does notescape into the room, the sound waves being broken and not permitted torebound from the telephone into the room.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

As a new article of manufacture, a disinfecting cap for telephonetransmitter mouthpieces, comprising a disk of thin sheet paper havingits peripheral edge curled backwardly and inwardly to form a peripheralbead adapted to snugly engage the periphery of the mouthpiece, said diskhaving a central opening and an antiseptically treated fabric coveringsaid opening, that portion of the disk between said opening and said rimbeing depressed to concave shape when not in use, whereby when theperipheral bead is forced over the mouthpiece, the depressed portionwill stretch and cause the disk to be tightly clamped in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 23rd day of April, 1919.

ELLIS M. POTTER.

Witnesses BENJ. SoLoMoN, FRANCES NEIDER.

Patented July 27,1920.

Application filed July 28, 1919. Serial No. 313.709.

